Maqs and supersedure

[thenovice]

treated with Maqs last week as Varroa was out of controp (drop over 50 a day and lots of brood damage) .

I am on Open mesh floor and had a crown board in with the 2 big holes in it for the clearer thingies on top so plenty of ventilation.

yesterday, 7 days later, I checked and saw the queen but hardly any eggs and a very nice supersedure cell. very disappointed as I just bought this queen this spring and despite the varroa, she was doing well.

will the bees tear down the supersedure cell if she comes back into lay? Are there any other things you can do to make Maqs less harsh on the queen and brood (except for reducing the dose?)

 

[Hebeegeebee]

if the queen is in residence, I would be inclined to remove the queencell and see what happens. she should come back into lay.
It's sad to see bees walking (staggering) off the landing board and falling to the grass to die a few hours after administering MAQS.
has it killed the varroa?

 

[thenovice]

if the queen is in residence, I would be inclined to remove the queencell and see what happens. she should come back into lay.
It's sad to see bees walking (staggering) off the landing board and falling to the grass to die a few hours after administering MAQS.
has it killed the varroa?

well, I will check again on day 14 or so. if she lays again I might just do that (or keep the cell for elsewhere...)

varroa: put a board in yesterday, count will follow...

 

[SireeDubs]

I had a substantial varroa load in April, despite treating in Dec. I weighed up pros and cons and decided to go for MAQs as I had supers on, as the rape was just on. I'm still a novice certainly, but I gave it careful thought (I thought!).

It may be coincidence, but between 2 and 4 weeks after treating, I lost two previously strong queens not long after (20 months and 11 months old). They'd started the season well, despite varroa, but the laying went right off and then they were no more. Correlation is not causation, I know, and these are merely the facts... I'd followed the MAQs instructions to the letter, and saw no ill effects externally, such as dead bees etc, but without more research, it's difficult to make the link for certain.

I'd tried to look up information on MAQs, but most is anecdotal evidence concerning queen loss and other queen problems, so was none the wiser. I wouldn't use again though. Guess you could reduce the dose, but that may make the treatment less effective, as the instructions state I think. On the plus side, it dealt with the varroa!

Hope you have better luck. It's taken me ages to get queenright again!
T

 

[Erichalfbee]

It's sad to see bees walking (staggering) off the landing board and falling to the grass to die a few hours after administering MAQS.

I've used MAQS quite a bit and that's never happened to me.
Always make sure you have one or two supers on top for bees to hang out in.

I have had one queen superseded.
I don't think it's all it's cracked up to be re hitting varroa under caps

 

[thenovice]

I've used MAQS quite a bit and that's never happened to me.
Always make sure you have one or two supers on top for bees to hang out in.

I have had one queen superseded.
I don't think it's all it's cracked up to be re hitting varroa under caps

I have 14x12 with 3 supers on top. so there I did not go wrong...

 

[domino]

I've used MAQS with no issues but know of people who think MAQS is the devil's work.

 

[djg]

I've used MAQS with no issues but know of people who think MAQS is the devil's work.

After the last couple of years, I'm planning to apply MAQS at half the recommended dosage in 2015, if varroa loads get toppy in the next couple of months. I've had supercedures with unusual frequency using the full dose.

My local BKA ain't too enamoured of it, neither.

 

[Finman]

If it made brood damage, that queen cell may have some damage too.

.

 

[itma]

...
yesterday, 7 days later, I checked and saw the queen but hardly any eggs and a very nice supersedure cell. very disappointed as I just bought this queen this spring and despite the varroa, she was doing well.
...

My suggestion would be to temporarily put Q into a made-up nuc, where she is safely out of the way.

Thereafter, whether you choose to allow the QC to develop (and watch out for additional emergency cells) or to cull it (and the then-inevitable emergency cells) to fairly swiftly render them "hopelessly" Q- before reuniting with old Q, its your choice -- but you have given yourself the luxury of choice by making sure old Q is safe.
Leave her in there and she is at risk of 'imperfect' supercedure (being terminated before new baby Q is emerged, mated and laying worker brood).
Being kinda cautious, I'd remove her to a place of safety, and ensure that she was back to laying nicely before terminating the new supercedure Q. Easier to deal with new Q, if at all possible, before she emerges ... so time is of the essence!

 

[Jimmys Mum]

I have some on 4 of my hives at the moment. I know this has been discussed before but the NOD Europe website advise to close off mesh floors to prevent fumes from dumping out of the bottom. http://nodglobal.com/faq-uk/

Most people I speak to are leaving their mesh floors fully open when applying MAQs which I suppose may effect the efficacy of the treatment as per Randy Oliver's study referred to. Although a 4-5% reduction does not seem particularly big.

Although they hammered the varroa, I did lose a queen when I last used them so my method this year was to put the inspection boards in but not to seal them up at the back, entrance fully open and 3-4 supers on. So lots more room than last time. We shall see in the next few days - hopefully I will still see all my queens safely laying away.

 

[BeeJayBee]

I used MAQS last year, left the omf open - it's open all the time because the tray sits on the hive stand a few inches below the floor. I had no problems with the queens afterwards, it didn't even kill a particularly tatty one that I'd thought was probably on the way out anyway.

My hives are large though, jumbo langstroths, which might have made a difference.